8th International Conference on Food Safety & Regulatory Measures

March 14-15, 2025       Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel, UK

Tentative Program

Serena Santonicola

Serena Santonicola

University of Molise, Italy

Abstract Title: Microfibers in the food chains: food safety and environmental issues

Biography:

Graduated in Veterinary Medicine (2013), and Ph.D. in Veterinary Science at the University of Naples Federico II (2017), Dr. Serena Santonicola has experience in Food Safety, focusing on food contaminants. She is working at the Department of Medicine and Health Sciences "V. Tiberio" University of Molise, as a researcher in the field of microplastic and microfiber contamination in food products.

Research Interest:

In recent years, microplastics have received considerable attention from governments, non-governmental organizations, the scientific community, and the media as emerging environmental pollutants. These particles have been widely found in the marine environment and many edible fish and shellfish with microfibers being the predominant forms. In the aquatic ecosystem, microfibers have been shown to be transferred along the food chain from algae to zooplankton and then to fish, leading to human exposure. However, these particles may also accumulate in the soil with a potential risk of transfer also along the terrestrial food chain.

Because of their high nutritional value, fishery and milk products play a key role in human nutrition. The evaluation of microfiber contamination in fish, shellfish, and commercial milk from Italy revealed the prevalence of natural and artificial microfibers (above >80%) in the analyzed samples. However, despite the increased evidence of microfiber pollution in the environment, only a few studies refer to natural/artificial microfiber contamination in food products, and more data is needed to make a safety risk assessment. Moreover, the impact of all activities during food production, from the farm to the industry, was never questioned, despite microfibers having become an important issue in food processing. Further studies are needed to evaluate the levels of microfiber contamination along the entire supply chain to identify the sources of contamination and implement control strategies and mitigation measures.